IN BRIEF | BASEBALL

The 41-year-old Ibanez batted .242 with 29 homers and 65 RBIs for the Seattle Mariners last year. He hit his final homer of the season at Angel Stadium on Sept. 21, tying Ted Williams’ record for the most homers by a 40-and-over player.

Ibanez has 300 career homers and is seven hits shy of becoming the 18th active major leaguer with 2,000 hits. He played his first major league game with Seattle in 1996, also making stops with the Royals, Phillies and Yankees between three stints with the Mariners.

Veras agrees to 1-year deal with Cubs

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs say they have agreed to a one-year contract with reliever Jose Veras that includes a club option for 2015.

The deal was announced on Friday.

Veras is due $3.85 million next season, and the Cubs have a $5.5 million option for 2015 with a $150,000 buyout. He can make an additional $750,000 annually in performance bonuses based on games finished.

Veras was 0-5 with a 3.02 ERA in 67 games last season for the Houston Astros and Detroit Tigers, who acquired him on July 29.

Former Orioles star Blair dies

BALTIMORE — Paul Blair, the eight-time Gold Glove center fielder who helped the Baltimore Orioles win World Series titles in 1966 and 1970, has died. He was 69.

Blair died Thursday night at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Blair’s wife, Gloria, told The Baltimore Sun, that Blair played a round of golf with friends Thursday morning and later lost consciousness at a celebrity bowling tournament in Pikesville.

“Paul was honestly too tired, but he never says no,” Gloria Blair told the newspaper. “During a practice round, he threw two or three balls, then sat down and told a friend, ‘I feel funny’ and kind of collapsed. He lost consciousness and they called 911 and the ambulance took him to (Sinai), but the doctors there told me they never got a pulse.”

Blair was with the Orioles from 1964-76. He then played for the New York Yankees — winning World Series in 1977 and 1978 — and the Cincinnati Reds.

In 17 seasons in the majors, he hit .250 with 134 home runs, 620 RBIs and 171 stolen bases. Blair appeared in six World Series, two All-Star games and won Gold Gloves in 1967 and 1969-75.